This poem was written for the Literary Taxidermy contest, which provided the first and last line of an existing piece of literature. Writers had to connect those lines however they wished. This is a 5-7-5-7-7 tanka haiku form.

The Seedy Cafe 

I do not know why

I have such a fancy for

this little cafe

under fallen, rotting leaves

where the floor is always damp.

Lady bug corpses

make for stools at bitternut

tables dimly lit

by wearied firefly lanterns,

and it's where the fairies dance —

the elderly ones

who can barely tread air with

their translucent wings,

pale legs dangling and heads like

little caps. I sit and drink

cups of raindrop tea,

captivated and repulsed

in equal measure

for they remind me somehow,

disgustingly, of mushrooms.